Safety interlocking snap hook for clothes hangers



Get 4, 1949. A. BRILL- ET AL 2,483,618

SAFETY INTERLOCKING SNAP HOOK FOR. CLOTHES HANGERS Filed May 15, 1946 A N BRIL WALT KNEISS R [N VENTORS A TTORNEY Patented Oct. 4, i949 SAFETY INTERLOCKING SNAP HOOK FOR CLOTHES HANGERS Aron Brill, Brooklyn, N. Y., and Walter Kneissler, Roselle, N. J.

Application May 15, 1946, Serial No. 669,749

1 Claim.

This invention relates to garment hangers and more particularly to a garment hanger having a hook structure adapted for self-locking engagement with a supporting bar or clothes line without fear of the hanger becoming accidentally disengaged and falling to the floor.

An object of this invention is to provide a garment hanger having a bifurcated hook and an integral spring movable into the bifurcation, the hanger being attachable to a supporting bar by holding the hanger body in one hand and pressing the spring against the bar and causing swinging movement of the spring inwardly of the hook sufficlently to provide passage for the bar into the hook, when the spring springs back into the bifurcation and is mechanically interlocked by the bifurcation and automatically held against sideways sway to the right or left.

Another object of this invention is to provide a garment hanger having a. spring which looks the hanger to a supporting bar by a single movement of one hand of the user, the free end of the spring having a closed coil formation and a recess between the coil and the body of the spring, whereby the Spring has a tension grip on the hook and yet is readily disengageable therefrom by the user, the arrangement being such that the spring will not disengage from the hook when a heavy load is applied to the hanger.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention will be hereinafter more particularly described, and the combination and arrangement of parts will be shown in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claim which forms part of this specification.

Reference will now be had to the drawings, wherein like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of the hanger.

Figure 2 is a front view of the hook portion of the hanger.

Figure 3 is a rear view of the hook portion of the hanger.

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the hooked portion of the hanger in closed position, the section being taken as on line 44 in Figure 6.

Figure 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the hook portion of the hanger in open position.

Figure 6 is a top plan view of a fragmentary portion of the hanger.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the clamping portion of the hanger, the section being taken as on line 1-1 in Figure 2. The figure is drawn on an enlarged scale.

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 88 in Figure 2, on an enlarged scale.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the numeral 10 indicates a clothes hanger formed from a single length of wire. The hanger comprises a garment supporting body having angular sides II, II.

The sides II, II converge into an up-turned vertical portion l2 which is bent into a hook I3. The hook comprises a rear element l3 and a reversely bent forward element I3 The hook elements l3, I3 are in spaced-apart relation and form a bifurcation or receiving means M.

A leaf spring [5 has its lower end fixed to the hook 13 by a clamping member l6 preferably made of a strip of sheet metal which is bent around and grips the upwardly extending side wall elements I! of the hook 13.

The clamping member I6 has parallel side walls [9 which are spaced apart and serve to receive the lower portion of the leaf spring l5 therebetween. The spring I5 is fixed to the side wall elements I! by a rivet 20 passing through the clamping member [6, and riveted over the clamping member l6.

A filler 2! of metal such as solder is poured between the leaf spring l5 and the clamping member l6 and holds the spring securely in position.

It is to be noted that the width of the spring I5 is substantially equal to the distance between the side wall elements I! of the hook l3 and is thereby held from swaying to the right or left when a force is applied to the spring tending to swing it sideways, as when the spring is forced rearwardly When the hanger is mounted on a supporting bar.

As shown in Figure 1, the garment supporting portion of the hanger It! comprises reversely folded portions or branches 24, 25 of the hanger wire.

The branches 24, 25, at the mid-portion of the hanger, are upturned into right-angular relation. These branches cross each other and are soldered into unitary relation at the junction 26 of the branches.

Immediately above the junction point 26 the branch wires are angularly directed up to the clamping member [6.

Above the clamping member l6 the branch wires extend in parallel relation the entire height of the hook I 3 and all the way down to the free end portion 21 of the hook.

It is to be noted that in practice, when a heavy load is applied to the garment supporting portion of a hanger there is considerable stretch in the hook portion of the hanger. Were the leaf spring made to have its free portion in simple engagement with the bifurcated free end 21, there would be a possibility of disengagement of the free end portion of the leaf spring from the hook.

In order to prevent this disengagement, we have formed a closed coil 28 at the free end portion of the spring.

We have also formed a recess 29 between the coil 28 and the body of the. spring. IS, The re.- cess 29 provides engagement means for the free end portion of the hook 21 whereby, while the spring has a tension grip on the: hook when the hook is under load, the spring I5 is readily disengageable from the free end of the hook when the user applies pressure against the spring, as best shown in Figure 5.

The arrangement of the coiled free end portion of the spring and the free end portion of the hook is such that the spring will not disengage from the hook when a heavy load is applied to'the hanger.

It is to be noted that the greater the load applied on the hook or hanger, the greater is the tendency for the end. coil of the spring to close up andto increase the size of the recess, that is, the greater the load applied the greater is the interlock between the hook and the spring.

The cross or connecting wire element 30 at the free end portion 21 of the hook l3- enters into resilient engagement with the recessed part 29 of the spring [5 and. this causes a manually disengageableinterlocking means.

In accordance with the patent statutes we have described and illustrated the preferred embodiment of our invention, but it will be understood that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit of the. invention as defined by the appended claim.

We claim:

An interlocked two-member heavy load carrying hanger designed to be non-releasable under load conditions, comprising a bifurcated hook having a free end portion and a transverse member connecting the side wall elements of said hook at said free end, a leaf spring clamped to and between said side wall elements, the width of said spring being substantially equal to the distance between said side wall: elements and being held thereby againstlateral sway, said spring extending in an upright direction and directed from said hook body toward the free end portion of said hook, saidspring terminating at its free end in a fully closed coil, said coil lying wholly within the boundaries of said spring, the end portion of said: coil being. upwardly directed and terminating above the lowest portion of said coil, said end portion abutting the body of said spring, and forming a recess between the body of said spring and. the upturned end portion of said coil, said recess being of a size to receive the transverse member of said bifurcation in interlocking engagement, whereby a heavy load applied to said hook will cause: said, spring to augment said hook in carrying said load. without deforming said hook or releasing said-interlocks ARON BRILL. WALTER KNEISSLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following. references" are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 60,902 Judd A Jan; 1, 1867 1,015,149 Dil'ls Jan. 16, 19-12 1,165,606 Kin-g Dec. 28, 1915 1,589,228 Robb June 15, 1926 1,894,183 Lindner Jan, 10, 1933 1,910,629 Navarte May 23, 1933 2,409,538 Brill et al.- Oct. 15, 1-946 

